Govt provides relief houses

Press, 30 August 1978, Page 6

Govt provides relief houses

The Housing Corporation will provide two Christchurch houses to the City Council for emergency housing. In turn, the council will probably sub-let the houses ! ! to organisations that provide such housing. Two possi- ! bilities are the Women’s ! Refuge Centre and the joint ‘Anglican Methodist Centre. Suitable properties will be bought by the Government. They will be leased to the • council as "head tenant” at ! a present minimum rental of | SlO a week. The council will) also fully insure the build-; ! ings against fire and dis-i •aster. A steering committee from the council, the Department! . of Social Welfare, the Housing Corporation and the De-;

partment of Maori Affairs will manage the emergency housing system, and a “joint team” approach to problems of families receiving the emergency help will be made. At present, the Women’s! Refuge Centre works from a! sub-standard house. The chairman of the community services committee (Cr D. F. Caygill) said the council would not act as a landlord, but as an inter-, mediary in obtaining hous-j ing for welfare organisations doing such work. A draft list of tenancy: conditions says that each tenancy should not exceed two months, to ensure a steady 'stream of families who need help, through the facilities.